Analysis and Comparison of Multilayer Planar Structure Ultra–Wideband Absorbers for Visible to Mid–Infrared Light Using Different Simulation Software

In the past, the featured finite difference time domain (FDTD) software was used to simulate a multilayer planar structure light absorber’s design and obtain the optimal thickness for each layer through this software. In this study, we employed the thickness values obtained from FDTD in another software, COMSOL, for simulation. Subsequently, we compared the absorptivity simulated by COMSOL with that obtained through FDTD. Due to the different computational methods of the two software tools, the absorptivity simulated by COMSOL using the layer thickness values from FDTD became less accurate. As a result, the thickness of each layer was fine–tuned to identify the optimal parameters for each layer. The optimized parameters with the absorptivity values in the present study were compared to previous results. Variations in the optimal thickness for each layer when utilizing these two software applications were found with different results.